Human Remains and Cannabis Payload Lost at Sea After Space Mission

On June 23, 2025, The Exploration Company's Nyx capsule, which launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base atop a Falcon-9 rocket, embarked on a mission that was intended to carry a diverse range of payloads, including the ashes and DNA of over 166 individuals provided by Celestis, a Texas-based memorial spaceflight company. Unfortunately, after achieving orbit, the Nyx capsule encountered a critical failure during reentry, resulting in its crash into the Pacific Ocean on June 24, 2025, and the loss of all its cargo.

The Nyx capsule was part of a rideshare mission known as Transporter-14, and it marked the first occasion that The Exploration Company had sent customer payloads to space. The overall weight of the cargo was approximately 300 kilograms (660 pounds). In a statement on LinkedIn, The Exploration Company characterized the flight as a "partial success (partial failure)," highlighting the operational achievements of the mission while acknowledging the subsequent failure to safely land the capsule. The statement read: "The capsule was launched successfully, powered the payloads nominally in orbit, stabilized itself after separation with the launcher, re-entered, and re-established communication after blackout. However, it encountered an issue afterwards, leading to the loss of communication a few minutes before splashdown. We are still investigating the root causes and will share more information soon. We apologize to all our clients who entrusted us with their payloads."

This incident marks the second time Celestis has faced a loss of payloads during a mission. The previous incident occurred in 2023 when a rocket carrying the cremated remains of former NASA astronaut Philip K. Chapman exploded over New Mexico. In response to the latest loss, Celestis expressed condolences to the families affected, stating, "In the coming days, our team will reach out to each family individually to offer support and discuss possible next steps. Though we currently believe that we cannot return the flight capsules, we hope families will find some peace in knowing their loved ones were part of a historic journey, launched into space, orbited Earth, and are now resting in the vastness of the Pacific, akin to a traditional and honored sea scattering."

In addition to the human remains, the Nyx capsule also carried cannabis plant matter and seeds provided by Martian Grow, an open-source citizen science project aiming to study the effects of microgravity on germination and resilience. This research may offer insights into how life could adapt to extraterrestrial environments such as Mars. Notably, the first mission, dubbed Mission Bikini, launched a smaller reentry capsule in July 2024, but it remained in orbit due to a failure in the rocket's upper stage.

The aim of the Nyx mission was to test key technologies and validate the capsule's capability to transport cargo to space, with future plans for the Nyx capsule to facilitate deliveries to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) destinations, including the International Space Station (ISS) or its successors. The Exploration Company has scheduled a demonstration flight to the ISS for 2028, contingent upon support from the European Space Agency. In the wake of this incident, the company has committed to utilizing the insights gained from the mission to enhance future operations.